UConn Booster Controversy. Not as it seems.

Pete Bell did what he felt he had to do to rebuild his college basketball program.  He needed new talent and new talent costs money. Happy, the rich alum, was more than glad to open his wallet. A new house for Butch McRae’s mom and the 6’8” freakish point guard comes to play for Bell.  Need a sweet shooting small forward? A new tractor for the farm and Ricky Roe commits. The 7’ 350lb mountain of a center struggling with his grades? Bell’s ex-wife personally tutored him through the SAT’s to ensure his eligibility.

Eventually Bell had enough of his strings being pulled by Happy and the other alumni who wrote the checks. He outed them all at a press conference and walked away to coach high school basketball.

What program am I talking about? When did this happen?  It happened back in 1994 at fictitious Western University in the movie “Blue Chips”. Pete Bell was played by Nick Nolte. Real players Penny Hardaway, Matt Nover and Shaquille O’Neal played the characters I referred to earlier.

Art can in fact imitate life. Sometimes the story is so outrageous that you can’t make it up. University of Connecticut AD Jeff Hathaway found himself this week in the middle of a Blue Chips controversy. Robert Burton has donated $7 million to the UConn football program over the last few years. The last donation of $3 million got the football complex named after Burton. Do these donations come without strings? Apparently not.

Burton expected “to be kept in the loop” regarding the hiring of the football coach who would replace Randy Edsall at UConn. When Hathaway hired former SU coach, Paul Pasqualoni, Burton was furious. He wasn’t consulted or informed and is none too enamored with the resume of Pasqualoni. Burton’s reponse? An angry public letter to Hathaway saying he isn’t qualified to run a top athletic program and should be fired. Burton also demanded his last donation, $3 million, returned.

Should Burton expect input into the program because of his donations? At first glance it’s easy to say he is a jerk. That’s because once again we are viewing sports as this romanticized sandlot activity that we love. I hate to continue to ruin that fantasy but it’s time to be grown up about this. This is big business. Huge business. Multi-billion dollar business. In business these things happen. Advertisers call the shots. Don Imus didn’t get fired for his comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team. Imus got fired because advertisers threatened to pull out because of his comments. Boosters call the shots a lot in college sports.

It’s why Terry Bowdon got fired as the Auburn football coach. He had an undefeated season, but was never an Auburn guy and the boosters got him fired. If T. Boone Pickens wants certain things at Oklahoma State or Phil Knight at Oregon, I think they will get them. How can schools take these millions and not play ball with the people donating? It becomes a matter of how far does it go.

It’s time to call this what it is. Professional. These are corporations who are responding to their funding sources. If your business accepts investments from groups, you have to answer to these groups. This is no different. Do I think Burton should have a say in the hiring of the football coach? Of course not. But it’s not as easy an issue as we think. How do other schools respond to Texas cashing checks for $15 million/year for 20 years from their ESPN deal? By getting in bed even more with rich boosters.

I don’t like this, but I also don’t know how to change it.  

Texas/ESPN deal. Wow!

I was so close. So freaking close. But nooooooo. Just when I think I am out, they drag me back in. I’m like an addict who hangs around people who enable him. Yes,  you Don Litzelman are at fault. You played enabler to my addict.

Here my last post was actually about games. And I was just about to blog again about the NFL playoffs this weekend. And now my head is about to explode. All from one little comment from Don. Yup. How about that UT/ESPN deal?  As they say in the Bud Light commercials, “Here we go!”.

The University of Texas and ESPN have completed a deal that will create a 24 hour UT network. The new network will broadcast about 200 Texas games a year. At least one football and eight basketball games will be shown live. The rest will be replays of games shown on other networks and various other sports.

Terms of the contract?  20 years for $300 million. Let me say that again. 20 years for $300 million. Hmm love of the conference kept Texas in the Big 12? No no no. Love of $15 million/year kept Texas in the Big 12 conference. When the Big 10 and Pac 10 came calling for Texas, they told the Longhorns that they wouldn’t allow them to have their own network. The Big 12, fighting off extinction, more than gladly told Texas it was fine with them. Of course it was.

This is unbelievable. I know that Notre Dame got their own network deal first, but this is taking things to another level. This is their very own network.  With the extra $15 million per year does Texas really need the Big 12? Might they just go independent? AD DeLoss Dodds says no. We will see.

Okay, right or wrong? I’m not sure it’s that simple. What is anything worth? What someone is willing to pay for it. I know I have covered this before but here’s a short recap on this subject. Don’t blame either Texas or ESPN for this contract. The fact is that there is enough interest in Texas sports to support this or it wouldn’t happen. If you don’t like this, and I don’t, the blame belongs with fans.  And blame might be a tough word. It’s a choice. Americans have chosen to make sports this kind of priority.

What does it mean for college sports? It changes the entire landscape. It gives Texas a resource that no other school has. And that won’t be acceptable for more than 30 seconds to Alabama or to Ohio State or to USC or to Florida or to ……….. fill in the blank.

Outcome obviously still to be determined but I don’t think college sports will ever look the same. We are looking at the creation of an elite division with only those few schools who can get deals like Texas just did. Hold on tight.

Only fools predict games. You're looking at one.

Now, don’t get too used to this, but I am going to get off the soapbox and actually talk some sports. It’s a very strange club, these NFL playoffs. Out are the NY football Giants, 10-6 and a recent Super Bowl champion. In are the woeful Seattle Seahawks, 7-9 and a division champion.

Should Seattle be in the playoffs? Yes, they did win the division and it’s too reactionary to think teams winning divisions with losing records will become a trend. Should they host a playoff game? That’s where I think there can be some discussion. I would have no problem with determining the 12 playoff teams as they do now, but then re-seeding, making Seattle the six seed instead of the four.

Matchups: Let’s go through by conference.  Don’t expect in depth x;s and o’s analysis, not my thing. But here are my thoughts. The first round in the AFC sees Indianapolis hosting the Jets and Kansas City hosting Baltimore. While the Colts have tied the NFL record with their 9^th consecutive playoff appearance, these are not your older brother’s Colts. (Let’s face it, can’t go with your father, we’re all old). They did win their last four to make the playoffs, but are limping in this year. Injuries have hit them hard and Peyton is showing signs that he may actually be human. That said, the Jets will be on the other side of the ball. Bravado aside, I don’t have a lot of faith in them. They have walked a tight rope all season.  But they make it to the other side one more time.

What a story the Chiefs have been. Tremendous credit to both GM Scott Pioli and head coach Todd Haley.  Matt Cassel is jus an amazing story. Stuck backing up Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC, he didn’t really play. And now look at him. In come the Ravens. The Chiefs have been winning with running and defense and those are more consistent than Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco. He has decent weapons but I’m just not sure if good or bad Joe will show up. Betting on good. Ravens move on.

That sends the Jets to New England and the Ravens to Pittsburgh. I’ll make this short and sweet. The home teams are just too good here. What an AFC championship game this will be. While the Patriots have been amazing this year and I think the world of Brady, I don’t think they have the weapons to outscore the Steelers. (Huge disclaimer: my beautiful girlfriend Tina is a  diehard Steeler fan. But trust me, if she knew I just picked them she would be livid that I jinxed them. Don’t tell her).

The first round in the NFC sees Seattle hosting New Orleans and Philadelphia hosting Green Bay. You’re right, there’s no need to even discuss the Seahawks and Saints. Packers and Eagles could be the game of the first round. The Packers are a bad matchup for the Eagles with their defensive speed and passing firepower. They beat the Eagles again.

That sends Green Bay to Atlanta and New Orleans to Chicago. The Packers lost by a field goal in Atlanta a few weeks ago. I can’t say enough about the Falcons. After winning the division Sunday, the players doused the owner with Gatorade. And Arthur Blank deserved it. Three years ago this franchise was dead as Michael Vick was in jail and Bobby Petrino coached a Monday night game and then yelled  “Go pig sooey” the very next day. He walked out on them with three games left to coach Arkansas, leaving notes in the players’ lockers. Blank hired Thomas Dmitroff as GM and unknown Mike Smith as head coach and what a turn around. I love Matt Ryan and Michael Turner. But something just tells me the Packers avenge their first home playoff loss back in 2003 to Vick and the Falcons.

On to Soldier Field. Julius Peppers has been a beast and Devin Hester is just ridiculous, but I can’t pick a team quarterbacked by Jay Cutler to win this game. Yes, I am saying that the wild cards will play for the NFC championship.

Like I said, no x’s and o’s. Here’s my analysis: I watched Drew Brees overcome horrible mistakes and will his team to a win the other night. I can’t get that out of my mind. The Packers will be in a Super Bowl soon, just not this year. Saints win the NFL for a second straight year.

Please, please for the love of god don’t tell Tina I said the Steelers will beat the Saints in the Super Bowl. Have a heart. 

Winner. Leader. Saints' Drew Brees, yes. Titans' Vince Young, no. Rose? Wall?

Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously said he couldn’t define pornography but he would know it when he saw it. Whether or not I can define being a winner, I do know that I saw it last Monday night in Atlanta.

I saw it in Drew Brees’ eyes and it translated into his actions. He threw two hideous interceptions late in the game against the Falcons. The Saints needed a TD to win and keep their hopes alive for the division and number one seed in the NFC. Brees throws those interceptions and how did he react? Like a leader and winner.

Brees didn’t freak out. He didn’t throw his jersey into the stands and storm out on his team. No, that would be Vince Young’s response to adversity. He had fire in his eyes and determination. He led his team on a drive that won the game.  He’s a winner.

Being a winner is not a measurable. Let’s go to the playground for a pick up game. There’s a lot of quarterbacks to pick from. You get to watch them for a while. Picked first are Jeff George, Ryan Leaf, Jamarcus Russell, and Vince Young because damn they look pretty. That’s fine. I’ll gladly take Bart Starr,Joe Montana, Tom Brady or Drew Brees. Wayne Gretzky would be standing a while waiting to be picked for pick up hockey too.

This doesn’t just apply to sports. There are people who just get it. They have a mind set that says they will succeed. Paul Westphal said that Charles Barkely was a pleasure to coach, that he had fire in his belly. Westphal said that you see frustrated NBA coaches because they have players without that fire and there’s nothing you can do to give it to them.

Tom Golisano lived out the American Dream in building Paychex from the ground up. He started with nothing. His motto in hiring? You can’t really motivate people so hire people already motivated and just don’t de-motivate them.

Being a winner counts. Especially in a leadership position like quarterback. Or point guard. It will be interesting to see how this new generation fairs in that respect. There is no questioning the amazing talent of both Derrick Rose and John Wall. But are they leaders? Time will tell. Will they make their teammates better or will they just make great plays, padding stats. Leadership is judgement. Supposedly Wall’s close friend on the Wizards was Gilbert Arenas, before his trade. Hmm. Not great judgement. Interesting.